Emergency
Locked out? One of us answers.
Day or night, the number goes to Gareth, Ffion or one of the two other locksmiths, never a call centre. You get the price before anyone leaves, a text with the name and photo of who is coming, and a van within the hour across Newport. Right now a lockout is £99 (night rate until 8am).
Ring now, any hour
Lockout £99 at the moment, the whole job within ten miles. Burglary: £140 for the first hour and making secure, any time.
What happens
From the call to the door closing behind you.
You ring, we answer
One of us, every time. We ask what kind of door and lock (a photo by text helps), where you are, and whether anyone is at risk inside. You get the price, the whole price, before we hang up.
A text with a name
The nearest van is sent and you get a text with the locksmith's name, photo and arrival time. Our average across Newport this year is 38 minutes and the promise is within the hour; beyond Newport we tell you honestly.
Opened without damage
On the step we check you are entitled to be there, then open the door with picks, bypass tools or a letterbox tool in 97 cases out of 100. If a lock has to be drilled we say so first, and the replacement is a published price.
Secure before we leave
If the keys are lost, a new cylinder on the spot. If you were broken into, the frame repaired and the house secure. The door tested from outside, a card with the invoice number, and the price you were told.
Response times
Typical arrival, by area.
Averages for this year from the shop on Caerleon Road, with two vans on the road. A Friday night in the rain is slower and we say so when you ring.
- Newport city centre, Maindee, St Julians25min
- Caerleon, Malpas, Bettws30min
- Rogerstone, Bassaleg, Duffryn30min
- Cwmbran and Llantarnam35min
- Risca, Crosskeys, Pontymister40min
- Langstone, Magor, Caldicot45min
- Pontypool and Abergavenny55min
- Chepstow55min
- Cardiff east, St Mellons, Castleton45min
- Marshfield and the Wentlooge levels40min
Within ten miles of the shop the published prices apply; beyond that, £1.50 a mile each way, told on the phone. Pontypool, Chepstow and Abergavenny are usually under the hour but not always, and a locksmith nearer to you may be the honest answer, which we will give.
While you wait
Four things worth doing in the next half hour.
- Check the other doors and windows. A surprising number of lockouts end with a back door that was never locked. We will not charge if you are in before we arrive; ring and tell us.
- Find something that proves you live there. A driving licence, a letter, a neighbour, the landlord on the phone. We check before we leave, for your protection as much as anyone's.
- If there is a child or someone vulnerable inside, say so. It changes which van we send and how fast; the police can also attend and we work with them.
- After a break-in, do not touch the door. Ring the police for a crime number first; we make the house secure once they have been, and the number goes on your insurer's report.
Emergency questions
Do you really answer at 3am?
Yes. The number diverts to whoever is on call, and the phone is by the bed. If it rings out, which happens once or twice a year when two calls land at once, ring again and it goes to the second locksmith.
Is the night rate the whole price?
£99 is the lockout, opened without damage, within ten miles, including VAT. A new cylinder if the keys are lost is on top at the published price, and we tell you on the phone.
What if I am locked out of my car?
We do cars too, at the same rates: a locked-in key or a lost key opened at the roadside, and a new key cut and programmed on the spot for most makes from £95.
Will you turn up if I am not the homeowner?
If you live there, yes: tenants, lodgers, family. We need to be satisfied you are entitled to be inside, and we are good at working that out on the step.